Iyanden
"The resilience of Iyanden is what I most admire them for. After the Fall, a cataclysmic horror that bathed the galaxy in the blood of billions, Iyanden considered it just another obstacle to overcome. While others spent bleak centuries mourning for uncountable losses, Iyanden was manning defences, cleaning streets, repairing infrastructure and mending damages. Their tenacity is almost unthinkable." - ''Lúthedir, High-Farseer of Craftworld Ulthwé 'Iyanden', translating literally to '''Light in the Darkness', is a major Eldar Craftworld that was once the most populated of them all, being the most technologically advanced and numerous of them all and now dances on the brink of extinction.iyanden, in the fall of Slaanesh and the ensuing attacks from malevolent Warp entities, Ork WAAAGHs, Dark Eldar raids and, very recently, assaults from the Imperium, Iyanden has lost the majority of its number and has resorted to relying on Ghost Warriors to maintain afloat in combat. Recently, Aegis, High Autarch of Craftworld Biel-Tan alongside the High Autarchs of a dozen other Craftworlds to form the 'Revenant Spirit', an alliance focussed around giving supplies, manpower, raw materials and Spirit Stones to Craftworld Iyanden so they may rebuild themselves to their former glory. Considering they lost almost fully eight tenths of their forces to invasions of marauders and they were once the Jewel of the Aeldari, Iyanden has received overwhelming support in its most trying times. Iyanden is widely known as the largest belligerent during the Webway Wars, having the largest grudge with them and sending the largest bulk of its military to fight off the blighted menace. Many of Iyanden's greatest warriors have forged their legacies in the blood of the Skray. Furthermore, due to what is seemingly bad luck, Craftworld Iyanden is also the target of frequent Tyranid assaults from a number of Hive Fleets varying in scale and menace. Iyanden faces hostility from both realspace and the Webway. The World Rune of Iyanden represents the Shrine of Asuryan as well as the flame of hope that one day, Iyanden may recover and achieve its former glory. Nobility Instead of conventional Noble Houses, like the ones many Craftworld may sport, Iyanden's nobility is categorized under Ghost Houses, in reference to the numbers they've lost and the commonality of Wraith Constructs among these houses. Ghost Houses, in concept function largely the same as regular Aeldari nobility except convey their authority in a different way. House Myst One of the Ghost Houses that suffered the most during the Fall of the Eldar, House Myst is the most dedicated to the restoration of Iyanden to its former glory as well as the Empire as a whole. House Myst is currently lead by Lord Eldrathion Myst, the leader if Iyanden. Eldrathion - the current High Farseer - and Behethion - One of the most famed war generals during the Webway Wars - are its most notable members. Notable Members * Eldraithion Myst - High Farseer * Behethion Myst - High Autarch * Alcarion Myst - Spiritseer * Gellanthel Myst - Runeseer House Delgari KNown to be one of the most downtrodden of noble houses, even for iyanden, House Delgari has been hit the hardest by invasions of foreign threats and has even seen Wraithguard fall into a death-sleep due to low morale and deep sadness. Notable Members * House Divinesh House Divinesh is known for being both secluded and isolated as well as especially psychically gifted. members of House Divinesh rarely leave the confines of their Ghost Halls unless their Craftworld is in a time of great need and it has been said they have a disproportionate amount of Wraithseers who scry mysteriously in the shadows. Notable Members * House Haladesh Known for its self-sacrificing and humble demeanour, House Haladesh is a significant contributor in the war effort with the Webway Wars as well as fending off heir Craftworld from the Great Devourer. Notable Members * House Ulthanesh The most dedicated to driving out and eradicating the menacing Skray, House Ulthanesh rigorously train their nobles and warriors in the art of destroying the malignant rat folk. From special armament to unique tutelage, the warrior nobles who come from House Ulthanesh are said to be some of the most ruthless in vermin slaying. House Ulthanesh is currently lead by Caladir Ulthanesh, an Autarch and venerated Wraithlord currently sitting on the Autarch Council. Notable Members * Caladir Ulthanesh - Autarch Stereotypes "Cut an Iyandenite's throat and they would thank you for giving shine to their Spirit Stone" '' ''- A common eldar saying The stereotypes for Iyanden all filter down into a single attribute: complaisantness. Due to their highly enduring spirits and indomitable will powers, they are able to take the grueling punishment of warfare to a far higher degree than many other Craftworlds can attest to. Iyanden has learned not to complain or grovel in the face of difficulty but to instead simply accept it and triumph over it anyway. This is often misinterpreted to mean that those of Iyandenite origin are complaisant pushovers that will simply suffer silently with verbal or physical abuse from other Aeldari. Moreover, this original stereotype has mutated into other subsidiary misconceptions, the most prevalent one being that Iyanden's people are obsessively focussed on etiquette and are overly polite. The negative effects of this are often similar to the first; some eldar tend to disrespect Iyandenites, believing they can say anything they'd like to them and receive no negative repercussions, lest they break their own apparent 'strict code'. Faeries Due to their constant state of war, Iyanden needs all the help it can get and this also includes Faeries. However, due to the Craftworlds' large stake in the Webway Wars and their frequent skirmishes with the Skray, they protect their Faeries in a special way as to not titillate the Skray's specific desire to capture and drain Faeries of their energy. Forces of Iyanden Craftworld Iyanden relies on Ghost Warriors far more than any other Craftworld, with the vast majority of Iyanden's both military and civilian forces comprised of the Wraith Constructs of Iyanden's finest Bonesingers. Even though, theoretically, the Flensing cut away the weaker members and only left the strongest, due to how harshly Iyanden was treated by the Fall and the ensuing invasions, even some of their greatest heroes were slain in the battles. However, thanks to Iyanden's heavy reliance on Wraith-Constructs, some of these great heroes have managed to stand eternal on the battlefield. Avatar of Khaine Like all Craftworlds, Iyanden can facilitate Avatars of Khaine, due to their efficient, focussed and driven nature, it is said of the Avatars of Iyanden that they are far harder to slay in combat. These avatars use the typical panopy of war of a regular Avatar of the Bloody-handed God however they have been observed by their foes to be far more tenacious. Spiritseer Spiritseers are a unique form of seer that was created by the denizens of Iyanden. A spiritseer is uniquely able to communicate with the souls residing in a Craftworld's Infinity Circuit as well as be specially capable of directing and communing with Ghost Warriors and Wraithbone-constructs. The originally Spiritseer was the Craftworlds current High-Farseer, Eldraithion, who lost his lover and was determined to see her again, in the process discovered a new path along the Path of the Seer. Wraith Avatars Iyanden is known to take on a highly unorthodox practice in combat, the act of Wraith Avatars. These are highly peculiar pieces of battlefield technology forged out of pure desperation, only rarely seeing the field of war. When a selected exarch, one perfect for the role of Avatar has been mortally wounded, is fatally diseased - something which has become far more common in the dawn of the Skray - or both, they are imprisoned in a bespoke wraithbone suit of armour and then become an Avatar of Khaine from within. The reasoning behind this is that, if the Exarch were to take the procedure normally, without the suit, the resulting Avatar would be weakened, crippled and frail, a shallow husk of the molten glory it should have. As a result, the practice of Wraith-constructed Avatars has come into being. Considering the assaults to Iyanden have become even more common as of late, this practice might too become more common. Revenant Spirit As a result of the Revenant Spirit, the protective alliance created by High Autarch Aegis of Biel-Tan, Iyanden has recieved a large quantity of capable fighters to add to their arsenal, both of flesh and blood and wraithbone and soul. This has significantly improved their defences and manpower, being able to field far more Warhosts, each of a larger quantity than normal. The force of warriors put together by Aegis and his Craftworld Council goes as follows: Aspect Warriors Dire Avengers Shrines * Name: Asuryan's Wrath Shrine, Azure Might Shrine, Alabaster Blades Shrine, Phoenix Warriors Shrine Burning Virtue Shrine, Risen Blades Shrine, Revenant Spirits Shrine, Claws of Asuryan Shrine * Total Number: 35,000 * Exarch in Chief: Asuros Dark Reapers Shrines * Name: Baleful Scythes Shrine, Black Miasma Shrine, Enclosing Death Shrine, jade Coffins Shrine, Reaping Sentinels Shrine, Ashen Hopes Shrine, Ebon Skeletons Shrine * Total Number: 29,000 * Exarch in Chief: Kharon Shadow Spectres Shrines * Name: Twilight Strider Shrine, Shadow Crucible Shrine, Diamond Death Shrine, Crystal Mace Shrine, Argent Shadow Shrine, Gemstone Scythe Shrine, Dancing Phantoms Shrine, Onyx Flames Shrine * Total Number: 30,000 * Exarch in Chief: Sigris Howling Banshees * Name: Crone Guardians Shrine, Shrieking Talons Shrine, Blades of Omen Shrine, Sisters Defiant Shrine, Thorned Screams Shrine * Total Number: 15,000 * Exarch in Chief: Neira Exodite Tribes * Deiniol Tribe * Kenyon Tribe * Cadman Tribe * Arwell Tribe * Ap Tribe * Edryd Tribe * Garadhon Tribe Harlequin Masques * Masque of the Glass Flower * Masque of the Crooked Smile * Masque of the Gliding Death * Masque of the Splintered Jest Craftworld Forces * Guardians: 20 Million * Sourced from: Mymeara, Yme-Loc, Altansar, Ulthwé-Na-Daan, Altansar, Os'tara, Telennar, Tir-val * Commander in Chief: Sirilien Dawnfyre Notable Members Seer Council * Eldraithion Myst - High Farseer. Eldraithion is the eldest of the sons of Eldranth Myst and is the current High Farseer of Iyanden. Eldraithion is a pioneer among those who take the Path of the Seer as he alone created a new branch from that path, that of the Spiritseer. After his lover was slain in battle, Eldraithion wanted nothing more than to be with her again and after years of pursuit, he finally succeeded. Tapping into the Infinity Circuit itself, Eldraithion could embrace his lover once more. Eldraithion was freshly invigorated and went about teaching all he learned to Iyanden's fellow seers. Eventually this spread to other Craftworlds and the path of the Spiritseer was forged. * Anthur Divinesh - Spiritseer Autarch Council * Behethion Myst - High Autarch. Known as 'Behethion of the Eight Banners' as well as 'Rotbane' for his work during the Webway Wars, Behethion is the current High Autarch of Craftworld Iyanden and is possibly the greatest warrior it has ever had. In battle, Behethion wields the Iyandenite Ghostsword named Fuegol, which is archaic Aeldari for 'burning mist'. Being a warrior in four of the six Webway Wars and being a leader in three of them, Behethion has had centuries of battlefield experience and knows the Skray threat intimately including all of their vices and weaknesses. * Merilien the Revenant - Autarch * Caladir Ulthanesh - Autarch * Aeloc the Proud - Autarch Others * Kaymon - High Bonesinger Sworn Craftworlds * Zaisuthra * Jielthwa * Araq-qin * Mor-rioh'i Sisterworlds * Iyahdé - Credits Craftworld banner - MirageKnight32 (https://www.deviantart.com/mirageknight32)